Previously published Sept 23, 2009Matt, my mentor and more, at Voxy has suggested I might like to consider including more NZ content.So here I go and all going well I hope to focus at least once a week on the NZ golf scene.In a previous blog I wrote, “Geoff Shackelford reports on another member of the Jones family, Robert Trent Jones Jnr. who said, some would say pontificated that, “Nicklaus’s courses are all predictable. He's myopic. He looks straight forward. All of his greens and his [design] thoughts are very, very generic. His courses are beautiful and highly competent but predictable.”And as you no doubt know, Kinloch is the only Nicklaus designed course in NZ.Haven’t as yet played there so have to rely on feedback from those who have. Including a couple of lads; correction, one youngish lad and one elderly gentleman at my club who are of the opinion it’s better than Wairakei.Really! Now there’s a course I’ve played a few times and I reckon it’s the nearest thing to Gleneagles I’ve played south of the Tropic of Capricorn.Then there’s the case of a group from the club who went there a few weeks back but didn’t play from the back tees-Too tough. And they are very good amateur golfers.

Dunno about you but I feel kinda cheated if I have to resort to playing off the forward tees because it’s too tough from the back: Kauri Cliffs, Cape Kidnappers et al.I’ve Googled for reviews covering Kinloch and there’s an appalling lack of same.Cybergolf.com mentions Kinloch in an article focusing on Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers.

“As for The Hills and the Kinloch Club, I believe I have already mentioned the great courses on more than one occasion. These two courses are less than a year old, and they'll aiming to double New Zealand's highly underrated contribution on the flawed top-100 list, surely the folks in America can't ignore the splendor of them.”So far so good but that’s all folks!